Residents of Kinale in Lari constituency have threatened to hold demonstrations to protest a move by the Nairobi Metropolitan Services to cut grass patches at Kinale Forest for replant at Uhuru Gardens in Nairobi.
The residents have called out NMS terming the exercise forest destruction.
The NMS has embarked on beautification of the park and has been cutting patches of the indigenous Kikuyu grass at the forest near Soko Mjinga area.
The Kenya Forest Service allowed NMS to cut patches of the Kikuyu grass from the forest, since it will sprout easily and start growing once it starts raining.
However, residents who graze their animals at the forest are worried that the exercise will leave their livestock with nothing to feed on.
“We pay some fees to Kenya Forest Service per month to be allowed to graze inside the forest, but we have been angered by how lorries are carrying the uprooted grass. A bigger part of the forest has now been left bare, with only trees standing,” Charles Nyoro, a resident said.
“We might be forced to feed our cows, sheep and goats at home. Some of us have so many that feeding them at home is almost impossible” he added.
Another resident Ben Maina said if the exercise is not stopped they will have no choice but to lit borne fires along the Nairobi-Nakuru highway to get President Uhuru Kenyatta's attention and intervention on the issue.
However, KFS dismissed the demands saying the residents are angered because they used to cut the grass and sell it.
When moratorium was imposed by Environment CS Keriako Tobiko, a lot of activities were suspended including harvesting of grass.
Kiambu ecosystem conservator Paul Karanja said some individuals were inciting others.
He said the Kikuyu grass was the best to beautify areas such as parks, and the grass was being taken to Uhuru Gardens.
When Nyayo Stadium was rehabilitated, he said, the same grass was uprooted and replanted at the stadium and it grew again in the forest when it rained.
“When the patches are being cut, the roots are left and they grow when it rains,” he added.
Karanja explained that Kinale Forest has over 10,500 hectares and that the NMS has used less than 1 ha in the ongoing exercise.
“There is nothing to worry about, the project cannot even use one ha. On the other hand, this is government doing its project and it must complete it,” he said.
-Edited by SKanyara
